GUEST EDITORIAL  Toward a safe and sane state fieworks law

Michigan could be on its way to legalizing so-called “consumer fireworks.”

Michigan could be on its way to legalizing so-called “consumer fireworks.”

The Michigan House recently voted 98-10 for a bill that would repeal Michigan’s almost draconian ban on devices such as bottle rockets, firecrackers, Roman candles and small skyrockets.

The bill still would regulate fireworks sellers, imposing strict licensing, safety and insurance regulations on them.

It’s about time.

Consumer fireworks — those classified under federal law as 1.4G fireworks — have long been available and widely used in Michigan despite the ban. They’ve been legal for decades in Indiana. They’re legal for tribal fireworks sellers to sell in Indian Country. They’re widely available under the table, as well. Will it mean more free-lance kabooms around the Fourth of July? Probably not; anybody who wants fireworks already can get them.

Michigan hasn’t had the strictest fireworks laws in the United States; some states even make sparklers illegal. Law enforcement officials, at least in central Michigan, have openly admitted that they have much higher priorities than to enforce the state’s anti-fireworks law.

It’s time that this outmoded, nanny-state law went away.

The new Michigan Fireworks Safety Act would require sellers to get permits each year. Those licenses wouldn’t be cheap — $1,000 for the first year, $600 for subsequent years. In addition, retailers would have to be covered by a $10 million liability policy.

Those fees and premiums probably would keep fly-by-night operators out of the business. By moving these commonly used items out of the black market and into the light of day, Michiganders can feel safer. The state fire marshal and the Michigan Township Association supports the bill. They’re right.